Martin C. Herbst: Ariodante January 15, 2009 - February 21, 2009
Artists in the Renaissance held in the highest esteem the ability to portray, with faithful accuracy, the human form as well as the representation of physical space through careful observation, concentrated study and even anatomical dissection. The notion of art mirroring reality was not only familiar but was relied upon for many centuries. Negative first reactions to more modern art movements should then have come as no surprise as, for many, painting and the visual arts as they had known it, had fallen from grace.
Mike Weiss Gallery is pleased to announce Ariodante, an exhibition featuring a procession of new works by Austrian artist Martin C. Herbst. Working on polished stainless steel and aluminum, Herbst seeks to emphasize the ideal of the Renaissance; it is an analysis made by an artist of the twenty first century who has, through his predecessors, earned the right to play freely with the idea. It is clear that painting is no longer contained within precise boundaries, in a paradise, reflecting an ideal and dramatic reality. It is Martin Herbst�s conviction that there has been a shift so dramatic that regression in any way is impossible. We are left only with the option to move forward and draw from the past what we can while delving into fascinating combinations of ideas that are at once familiar, yet take a second and third glance to grasp. It is also clear that the artist is in a state of lamentation that beauty itself, at that time, was restricted in many ways, there was no pleasure taken from distortion or playfulness within established conventions.
Herbst fulfills his ambition to create works that are at once captivating as well as dazzling to any viewer, regardless of background or association. It is the understanding however, of each work through the meticulously arranged procession that brings to fruition the artist�s ultimate objective. From carefully calculated variations on the celebrated work by Parmigianino to the optical astonishments of mannerism to complete distortions of accuracy, it is a walk through history in the artist�s mind�s eye.
For further information, please contact Sara Harari, Associate Director. 212 691 6899
